Setting Healthy Boundaries Part Two

HOW DO I SET BOUNDARIES WITH OTHERS? Last week, we worked through the importance of setting boundaries with others and self. By doing so, you will better protect yourself from people who might take advantage of you or even harm you physically or emotionally. You will also create structure in your own life to manage […]

Setting Healthy Boundaries

Most parents, teachers, and other authority figures teach children to be kind and loving. In fact, the elementary school my children attend selected the phrase, “Choose Kind” as the yearly theme not long ago. Likewise, most religions teach followers to be kind, love, sacrifice, and serve others. In some instances, placing one’s self last and […]

Emotional Intelligence Will Get You through COVID Stress and Beyond

Dealing effectively with your emotions develops balanced and more fully integrated emotional health, which is the key to a better life. We identify healthy emotional regulation as Emotional Intelligence. Identifying and naming our emotions provides the first step. Mental Health Professionals call this process labeling. The ability to label our emotions is more challenging than […]

How To Know If You Need Counseling

As a therapist, I’m often asked, “How do I know I  need counseling therapy?” Here are the signs I usually give folk to consider.  Understand, this is not a comprehensive list, THERE ARE MANY MORE REASONS, but these are for people wondering if they should consider therapy and the answer isn’t obvious to them. HERE’S […]

Pursue Happiness

Happy Fourth of July! OUR DECLARATION As Americans, one of the reasons we observe July 4th is to commemorate and celebrate our many freedoms as a country and as individuals.  Our Declaration of Independence states our basic rights as human being derived from that freedom; life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. HAPPINESS? It can be tough […]

Lovable Villains

There have been many menacing villains throughout time; The Joker, Voldemort, Michael Myers, Jason, and Hannibal Lector to name a few. At the top of most “Greatest Villains” lists stands Darth Vader of the Star Wars franchise. Why is that? What is it about Darth Vader that freaks us out, yet makes us feel such […]

Relationship Tension!

With so many polarizing opinions and points of view of today’s topics, emotions are sure to get in the way. When we disagree with someone, it is easy to lose control of our emotions, feel personally attacked, and return those feeling through harsher attacks. It comes from our survival instinct (reptilian) brain that is tightly […]

Hard Conversations

With all that is going on in our world and our nation, there are a lot of opportunities to have challenging conversations. They are often loaded with emotion, opinion, and personal experience, particularly if you disagree. Drs. John and Julie Gottman have provided evidence based research on how to make these conversations more productive and […]

What’s wrong with the world today?

We Need Some Empathy What’s the answer to the question, “What’s wrong with the world today?” Lack of empathy. I’m sure that’s an oversimplification. Regardless, it’s a great place to start. Every human being deserves respect, equality, freedom, and to be treated like a human being. It’s even in our constitution. However, our world polarizes […]